PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 63 



Philosophy," ''Astronomical Researches," and a work upon 

 Botany of the United States. 



The earlier volumes of Silliman's Journal were filled with notes 

 of his observations in all departments of natural history. 



Jose Francisco Correa da Serra, secretary of the Royal 

 Academy of Lisbon, was resident in Philadelphia in 1813, in the 

 capacity of Portuguese minister, and affiliated with our men of 

 science in botanical and geological interests. In 1814 he lectured 

 on botany in the place of B. S. Barton, and also published sev- 

 eral botanical papers, as well as one upon the soil of Kentucky. 



Alire RafFenau Delile, formerly a member of Napoleon's 

 scientific expedition to Egypt, and the editor of the " Flora of 

 Egypt," was in New York about this time, for the purpose of 

 completing his medical education, and seems to have done much 

 to stimulate interest in botanical studies. 



To this as well as to the subsequent period belonged Dr. 

 Gerard Troost [b. in Holland, Mar. 15, 1776, ed. at Ley den, d. 

 at Nashville, Aug. 17, 1850], a naturalist of Dutch birth and edu- 

 cation, who came to Philadelphia in 1810, and was a founder 

 and the first President of the Philadelphia Academy. In 1826 

 he founded a Geological Survey of the environs of Philadelphia ; 

 in 1827 became Professor of Chemistry, Mineralogy and Ge- 

 ology in the University of Nashville. As State geologist of 

 Tennessee from 1831-49 he published some of the earliest State 

 geological reports. 



Another expedition, well worthy of mention, though not ex- 

 ceedingly fruitful, was one made under the direction of Mr. 

 Maclure, President of the Philadelphia Academy, to the Sea 

 Islands of Georgia and the Florida peninsula. The party con- 

 sisted of Maclure, Say, Ord, and Titian R. Peale, and its re- 

 sults, though not embodied in a formal report, may be detected 

 in the scientific literature of the succeeding years. This was 

 early in 1818, while Florida was still under the dominion of 



